CHARAN PADUKA

About 1.5 kms. from Banganga and at an altitude of 3380 feet is Charan Paduka, the place where the imprints of Mata's pious feet are believed to be imprinted on a rock slab. The Darshans at Charan Paduka do not take more than a few minutes on a normal day. One pays obeisance at the footprints of Mata engraved on a rock slab and proceeds further. Symbolically, it means touching the feet of Mata and seeking Her blessings at the start of the journey. A medical unit of the Shrine Board is also located here, which is equipped with all necessary medical facilities and is attended by trained medical staff. According to the mythological tales, Goddess Durga made a halt at the site when Bhairav Nath was chasing her. The site of holy footprints is one of the highlights of the destination.

Jammu Tourism : INCREDIBLE JAMMU

KATRA : Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji

The journey to the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji starts with the Call of Mata. It is not only a belief but also a strong experience of one and all that the Divine Mother sends a call to her children. And once a person receives it, wherever he is, is bound to visit the Mother to receive Her unbounded love and blessings. A popular slogan in the local folklore beautifully expresses it- Maan Aap Bulandi - which means that The Mother Herself Calls! It is also a matter of experience by almost all those who visit the Holy Shrine that upon the Call of Mata, a person needs to just take one step and leave the rest to Her and his journey gets completed with Her divine blessings. Simultaneously, it is also believed that unless there is a call or Bulawa no one can visit the Shrine or have Her blessings, howsoever high or mighty one may be.

Mata Vaishno devi

The 13 Kms hilly track between Katra and Bhawan contains number of ancient temples and view-points for rest and enjoy natural beauty. The first stop is at Banganga, 1 Km away from Katra where one can have holy bath in the Banganga and have a Langer/Parshad (free food) run by famous T-series Industries.

The second stop Charanpadhuka is about 2.5 Kms away from Banganga. It is believed that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji took rest while moving towards the Trikuta Hills. The place contains the foot prints of Goddess, and thus the place is named Charanpadhuka Temple..

The third stop Adkuwari is about 3 Kms from Charanpadhuka. Here one can stay for night as half of the journey is over. At Adkuwari the devotees can have Darshan of Adkuwari Temple and Gerbhjoon (an ancient Cave of about 20 feet). It is believed that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji hide herself from Bairon Nath in this cave for 9 months.

After a steep height of about 4 Kms from Adkuwari the fourth and last stop is Sanjichat. The Sanjichat is the highest place in the track. One can enjoy the aerial view of Katra, Udhampur, Reasi and Jammu.

From Sanjichat about 2.5 Kms downhill track led to Bhawan the holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. About 0.5 Kms from Bhawan on the Bahawan-Sanjichat track an about 2 Kms link track lead to the Bairon Nath temple. The track is further linked with Sanjichat though dense forest containing different species of wild life such as Langoor, Monkeys and other wild birds.

For the ease of Journey the tourist must

• Register themselves at the booking counter Katra and get the yatra slip
• Get permission for the video camera, if interested.
• Check the identity card of the Pithoo, Pony and Palki before hiring them.
• For ease of Journey Travel as light as possible, since all the facilities are available on the track.
• Avoid the use of Polythene bag to protect the environment.
• Throw the waste in the waste-boxes available.
• Walk on the track only and enjoy the beauty of the nature. Wrong track can lead to disastrous results.
•  While leaving for the Darshan of the Holy Shrine, deposit your belongings at the clock rooms and get the receipt.
• Donations are to be made at the donation counters and get the receipt duly signed.

Few facts about Dogra rule in Jammu and Kashmir

RULERS AND WARS :

1792 = Birth of Maharaja Gulab Singh

1808 = Maharaja Gulab Singh defended Jammu against Sikh.

1809 = Maharaja Gulab Singh enlisted in Ranjit Singh's army.

1812 = Raja Dhian Singh joins Sikh army.

1816 = Maharaja Gulab Singh conquer Multan for Sikh empire.

1816 = Maharaja Gulab Singh conquer Reasi.

1821 = Maharaja Gulab Singh conquered Rajouri from Aghar Khan.

1821 = Maharaja Gulab Singh conquered Kishtwar from Raja Tegh Muhammad Singh.

1821 = Maharaja Gulab Singh took part in the Sikh conquest of Dera Ghazi Khan.

1821 = Maharaja Gulab Singh captured and executed his own clansman, Dido Jamwal,

1821 = Maharaja Gulab Singh ousted Bhupendra Dev from Ramnagar

1821 = Maharaaja Gulab Singh conquered Kishtwar Raja Mohd Teg Singh surrendered  without any resistance

1822 = Maharaja Gulab Singh was confirmed as Raja of Jammu by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

1822 = Maharaja Gulab Singh was sent on an expedition against Azam Khan of Tihri on the   frontier. 

1822 = Raja Suchet Singh appointed as Raja of Samba.

1824 = Maharaja Gulab Singh captured the fort of Samartah.

1827 = Maharaja Gulab Singh defeated a horde 

of Afghan rebels led by the fanatic Sayyid Ahmed.

1827 = Raja Dhian Singh titled the raja of chibbal and bimbher.

1829 = Maharaja Gulab Ranbir Singh, born at Ramgarh 

1831-39 = Maharaja Gulab Singh got the jagir of the salt mines in northern Punjab, and  Punjabi towns       Bhera,                        Jhelum, Rohtas, and Gujrat.

1833 = Maharaja Gulab Singh  designated  Zorawar Singh  as 

Titular Raja of Bhadarwah and was termed as Chhota Raja.

1834 = Dogra army invaded Ladakh under Zorawar Singh

1841 = Zorawar Singh advanced up the Indus and conquered Rudok and Garo 

1841 = Zorawar Singh  with 5000 Dogras and Laddakhi with a pledge not to return to Leh till had conquered Lhasa. 

1841  = At a height of about sixteen thousand feet above sea level proved disastrous for Zorawar  Singh who died fighting.

1841 =  Both Dhian Singh, the ablest leader and Prime Minister of the Lahore Kingdom, and Suchet Singh c-o- c of Sikh army were brutally murdered. 

1842) by Diwan Hari Chand and Wazir Ratnu on behalf of Gulab Singh and Kalon Surkhan and Depon Pishy on behalf of Dalai Lama. By this treaty, the traditional boundary between Ladakh and Tibet 'as recognized by both sides since olden times,' was accepted as boundary between Jammu and Tibet. The village and area around Minsar near Mansarover lake which was held by the Rajas of Ladakh since 1583 was, however, retained by the Jammu government. 

1842 = Astore was occupied by Nathu Shah and Gaur Rahman was defeated. Though recalled for a short time, during which Gaur Rahman inflicted a defeat on the sikhs, Nathu Shah was sent back again, and successfully pacified the border, taking in marriage the daughters of Gaur Rahman, and of the Mirs of Hunza and Nagar Karim Khan,

1846 = Maharaja Gulab Singh was given full powers to negotiate on behalf of the Lahore Darbar

1846 = 16 march 1846 Kashmir valley was annexed in Dogra riyasat after paying Rs. 75 lacs,

1852 = A powerful force under Dewan Hari Chand, Colonel Buji Singh, Colonel Jowahir,and Dewan Thakurdas was despatched in the spring of 1852. As soon as the winter was over Chilas was surrounded and besieged.  1856, Maharaja Gulab Singh formally installed Ranbir Singh on the gadi and himself accepted the position of Governor of Kashmir Territories, 

1858 =  Died at the age of 66 Maharaja Gulab Singh was one of the most Remarkable men that India produced in the 19th century. There had been others in the eighteenth century, such as Haidar-Ali and Maha- raja Scindia, who, beginning their life in obscurity, founded kingdoms and dynasties. But his is the only case in nineteenth-century India where a man beginning as a petty official in a Court conquered kingdoms and territories and established himself as a Sovereign. In a century barren of historical achievement in India Gulab Singh stands out as a solitary figure of political eminence.  

1860 = Gilgit was finally added  in Dogra  kingdom.

1870 = Ponial, Yasin, Darel, Hunza and Nagar by the maharaja Ranbir Singh

1876 = Chitral also accepted his sovereignty of Dogra kingdom.

1877 = An agreement was reached with Maharaja Ranbir Singh for the establishment of a Political Agency at Gilgit.

1880 = Maharaja Ranbir Singh took up the construction of a cart road from Srinagar to Rawalpindi (Pakistan).

1885 = Maharaja Ranbir Singh passed away.

1895 = Raj Rajeshwar Maharaja Adhiraj Maharaja Hari Singh Bahadur, Inder Mahinder, Separ-Saltanat­i Inglishia, G.C.S. I, G.C.I.E, K.C.V.0, was born

1889 = when the Jhelum Valley Card Road, "the most wonderful mountain road in the world", from Kohala to Baramulla was completed. It was extended to Srinagar In 

1897.

1905 = Sri Pratap College established at Srinagar

1907 = Prince of Wales College, established at Jammu

1922 = Another great highway, the Banihal Cart Road, which connected Srinagar, the summer capital, with Jammu and the winter capital of the state was thrown open to the public.

1929 = marriage of boys and girls under 18 and 14 years respectively was forbidden.

1930 = A nationalist at heart, the Maharaja went to attend the First Round Table Conference at London in, and addressed it in the following words:

"As the Allies of Britain, we stand solidly by the British connection. As Indians and loyal to the land of our birth, we stand as solidly as the rest of our countrymen for our India's enjoyment of a position of honour and equality in the British Common- wealth".

1932 = Muslim conference formed under President Ship of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

1934 = Maharaja Hari Singh sanctioned the creation of a Legislative Assembly called the Jammu and Kashmir Praja Sabha

1939 = Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah broke away from the Muslim Conference and established a new party, the National Conference.

1937 = The Department of Rural Development was established.

1943 = Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital opened at Jammu.

1938 = The Jammu and Kashmir Bank was established and it took over the government treasury both at Srinagar and Jammu. 

1939 =  Hari Singh appointed Yuvraj Karan Singh, who at that time was hardly seven years old, as 2nd Lieutenant in the State Forces.

1940 = Jawaharlal Nehru's visit to Kashmir.

1941 = Maharaja Hari Singh helped the British during the Second World War with men and money. He also personally visited the Middle East to boost the morale of his men fighting on the front.

1944 = Maharaja Hari Singh again went abroad, and met a section of his troops in Persia.

1944 = Mohammad Ali Jinnah also visited Kashmir. Jinnah had been in Srinagar for about six weeks during which he made the futile bid to sell the two-nation theory to Sheikh Abdullah.

1949 = Dr. Karan Singh was appointed Regent by his father on the intervention of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Thereafter he was head of the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir for the next eighteen years as Regent, as elected Sadar-i-Riyasat and lastly as Governor.

Mian Dido - The Robinhood of Jammu

Mian Dido was a brave Dogra who lived in Jagti, North of Jammu. He rebelled against Sikh dominance and Sahukari exploitation.Sikh Ruler Kharak Singh imposed heavy land taxes which was not acceptable to Dogras.Mian Dido along with other Peasantry and Bahu and Chib Rajputs started revolt against the rulers.They used To loot rulers and distribute it among poor people.

He once surrendered because he was tired of this life but after he came to know that the ruler lied to him and he will be killed,Mian ji killed 5 soldiers and escaped.After that he kept on attacking the rulers army.

When no other way could keep Mian ji away, Kharak SIngh asked Maharaja Gulab Singh ji to crush the rebellion.Gulab Singh ji had great respect for Main ji as both were Dogras and from the same clan.some say that Maharaja Gulab singh ji killed Mian Dido .

But Truth is that Gulab ji sent his man to capture mian ji as It was his duty to serve the ruler. He ordered his men to capture Main ji alive but Mian ji attacked the men and forced one of the soldiers to fire a gun in panic that killed Main Dido ji. Gulab singh ji was sad to hear this.He took responsibility of Mian ji’s sons and took care of them .

THAT THE GREATNESS OF DOGRAS. Mian Ji is an example That dogras wont tolerate Injustice and Maharaja Gulab Singh ji, An example of Loyality.

Facts about Jammu and Kashmir

History and Geography: 

According to the most popular legend that is also recorded in Rajtarangani and Nilmat Purana,two most authoritative books, Kashmir was once a large lake and it was Kashyap Rishi who drained off the water, making it a beautiful abode. But geologists have their own theory, which says that geographical changes made way for the outflow of water by subsidence of the mountain at Khadianayar, introduced Buddhism to Kashmir in the 3rd century BC. which was later strengthened by Kanishka. Huns got the control of the valley in the early 6th century. The valley regained freedom in 530 AD but soon came under the rule of the Ujjain empire. After decline of the Vikramaditya dynasty, the valley had its own rulers. There was a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist cultures. Lalitaditya (697-738 AD) extended his rule up to Bengal in the east, Konkan in the south, Turkistan in the northwest and Tibet in the northeast. Considered as the most famous Hindu ruler, he was known for constructing beautiful buildings. Islam came to Kashmir during 13th and 14th century AD. Zain-ul-Abedin (1420-70) was the famous Muslim ruler, who came to Kashmir when the Hindu King Sinha Dev fled before the Tatar invasion. Later Chaks overran Haider Shah son of Zain-ul-Abedin. They continued to rule till 1586 when Akbar conquered Kashmir. In 1752, Kashmir passed on from the feeble control of the Mughal emperor of the time, to Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. The valley was ruled by the Pathans for 67 years.
Name of Jammu figures in the Mahabharata. Recent finds of Harappan remains and arteacts of Mauryan, Kushan and Gupta periods at Akhnoor have added new dimensions to its ancient character. The land of Jammu was divided into 22 principalities. Raja Maldev, one of the Dogra rulers, conquered many territories to consolidate his kingdom. Raja Ranjit Dev ruled over Jammu from 1733 to 1782. His successors were weak and thus Maharaja Ranjit Singh annexed the territory to Punjab. He later handed over Jammu to Raja Gulab Singh, a scion of the old Dogra ruling family, who had grown powerful among Ranjit Singh's governors and had annexed almost the whole Jammu region. The state was governed by Dogra rulers till 1947 when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession in favour of the Indian Union on 26 October 1947.
Jammu and Kashmir State is situated between 32⁰15' and 37⁰05' north latitude and 72⁰35' and 83⁰20' longitude East. Geographically, the State can be divided into four zones. First, the mountainous and semi mountainous plains commonly known as Kandi belt, the second, hills including Shivalik ranges, the third mountains of Kashmir Valley and Pir Panchal range and the fourth is Tibetan tract of Ladakh and Kargil. Geographically and culturally the state has three distinct regions -- Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
  
For more - http://www.facts-about-india.com/facts-about-jammu-and-kashmir.php